Leaves for Elysium
by Angelic Warrior
Summary: AU Uchiha Sasuke was determined to save his home village from a certain fate. He journeyed to seek mermaids for their powers. As he and his crew get more involved with the mermaids, questions and mysteries started to appear. Was everything they know a lie
1. Storm

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I—I want to go through the deadliest sea and be the first to come back alive to tell the tale. It is said that only in the Sea of Elysium, mermaids live. I want to meet one and save this inevitable fate of this village."

"Will you do what it takes? Are you willing to risk your life?"

"What do you take me for? An Uchiha wouldn't back away from challenges." The young Uchiha jumped up to his feet clenching his fists in excitement. His onyx eyes burned with determination. "After all, this village is my homeland. The Village of Leaves."

* * *

_**Leaves for Elysium**_

**Author:** Angelic Warrior

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or any of its characters at all.

* * *

"S-Sakura-san! Help me!"

"Hmm?" Sakura turned around and saw her dark haired companion swimming towards her so fast that she left millions of bubbles behind her like a Jacuzzi that jets out water furiously. "Hinata-sama, what the matter?"

"B-bodies…a…a shipwreck!" Hinata blubbered out hysterically. "I think there might have been a storm in the Above."

"This is bad. Stay back Hinata-sama, if they are still alive, then they might find us. I'll go and remove them from here." Sakura was about to dash off when Hinata grabbed her arms.

"P-please let me go too. I-I want to help." Hinata stuttered but her pale eyes brimmed with command.

"If they find your eyes…" Sakura began. Hinata cut her off.

"Not just my eyes, yours and everyone included." Hinata frowned. "I-I believe that won't be a problem. The bodies that were sinking are already unconscious."

"So the Above creatures are dying, huh? In our territory as well…THAT IS NOT GOOD!" Sakura shouted. Hinata jumped. "We've got to go, now…though Hinata-sama, you should stay…"

"I'm helping out as well." Hinata said firmly. Sakura sighed then nodded.

* * *

"Finally. The day has come." 

The once young Uchiha has grown up to be a fine person at the age of eighteen. The years of training to prepare to sail the treacherous seas shaped his body structure to be a sturdy man. He closed his eyes and smirked. This time it is an adventure unlike previous ones. This time he might die or might come back as a hero.

"Sasuke you idiot! Stop daydreaming and get on the ship!" A hyper-energetic blond boy threw a hard biscuit at Sasuke's head.

"That hurt you dobe!" Sasuke glared at the blond boy who laughed hysterically chanting repeatedly "Got him" to apparently no one. At the word "dobe" the blond's blue eyes turned into dangerous slits.

"I'm not dead last! I made it on this ship didn't I? My grades my not be nearly as good as yours but I'm 100 times better than you are at anything else! You better not underestimate me because I—," the blond was cut off by another boy who grabbed his flailing arms.

"Naruto, shut up, you are too noisy. We haven't even left yet." The boy said in a monotone.

"_You_ shut up!" Naruto stomped on the deck and made a hole.

Suddenly, all was silent.

Shikamaru, Sasuke, who was going on deck, and everyone else on board glared at Naruto who stood there frozen in time facing the whole crew with eyes like a deer looking at headlights.

"H-heh…heh…it's just a little crack…" Naruto scratched his head grinning weakly and felt beads of sweat dripping down his face as he faced the people who are cracking their knuckles. "Uh-oh…"

* * *

"Now we can depart." Sasuke ordered. 

"Yes sir!" His crew replied.

At the dock, crowds of people cheered and the girls all cried saying that they will wait forever for their beloved Sasuke to come back. Sasuke ignored their drama.

_This is it. My whole life I have been waiting for this. This is my destiny, to restore our once prosperous village. Itachi, watch me catch up to you._

"Oy Naruto, haven't you finish fixing the deck, yet?" Shikamaru asked. "I can't sleep with all the racket."

"Stupid people…it's just a little crack that takes a long time to fix… How am I suppose to fix a deck with all the beating they gave me…" Naruto muttered and rubbed one of the numerous lumps that decorated his head and face. "Go sleep elsewhere."

"This place has the best air, sunlight and view of the clouds." Shikamaru explained.

"Bite me." Naruto growled. Sasuke snickered at the sight.

On the nest of the ship, Kiba sat down and stared at the sky.

"You know Akamaru, I heard that the Sea of Elysium has the best seafood in the world." Kiba said licking his fangs. Akamaru whined. Kiba laughed. "I know you are not a cat."

Meanwhile in the food storage room lies Chouji eating.

"You know, you shouldn't eat that much yet. We do only have about twenty-five years worth of food and most of you here eat like hogs." Shino said in an undertone.

"I never knew that sea biscuits are so good…better than Korean Barbeque." Chouji said stuffing his cheeks. Shino walked away.

_Mermaids…creatures of the devil…yet they can save us all. If only we can get their eyes._ Sasuke put his hands of the railings and stares out at the sea._ Mermaids, cold selfish creatures, why were they bestowed with such powers?_

* * *

"Sakura-san, this is the place." 

"It must have been quite a storm above." Sakura stared at the rainbow reflections of the sun's light on water cast on to the ruins of the ship. "Pretty."

"U-um…there's a body." Hinata pointed to a raven-haired person sinking heads down.

"There's another one!" Sakura exclaimed. "It's raining humans and ships!"

"W-we should save them. N-not all humans deserved to die and d-definitely not in our sea." Hinata fiddled with her fingers.

"Fine, lift that blond-haired human and I will take that black-haired human." Sakura said. "Is that okay with you Hinata-sama?"

"It's fine."

With barely any effort, the two mermaids brought the two trespassing, drowning humans to the Above which none of them ever been up there before. Tossing the bodies on the scorching beach, the mermaids were about to leave when they heard a voice behind them.

"M-mermaids?" he sputtered out seawater and passed out.

* * *

_It's been two weeks since we have arrived at the infamous Sea of Elysium. Luckily for us, we haven't encountered much trouble besides a pirate raid, which was nothing to us. Still no signs of any mermaids and strangely, this sea isn't as dangerous as I would have thought. In fact, it's easier to navigate through this than my previous experiences. The crew…they are fine. No one died or got sick which is very strange but I am thankful. The Sea of Elysium seems too easy to navigate, too easy to even arrive here. Suspicious… _

"Done." Sasuke closed his travel log. Outside of his cabin's window, he sees his crew doing nothing. It's too boring for them. "Maybe I should catch some sun rays before dusk. Everyone did say I was too pale but I just don't seem to tan, much."

Sasuke walked out and lied on the warm deck. _So tranquil here…two hours only…_

Plip. Plip. Drip.

Sasuke groaned.

Plip. Pat. Plip.

"Someone get that water away from me." Sasuke said and opened his eyes. Pitch-black clouds blocked his view. For a second he thought he turned blind. "RAIN!"

When Sasuke sat up, he noticed that everyone was either sleeping or running around in circles panicking.

"What's wrong, wake everybody! We need all the help we can get before a storm arrives." Sasuke ordered.

"But we can't, some wouldn't wake up! You were one at first too!" a crewmember replied tearfully.

"No tears in my ship!" Sasuke shouted and the crewmember gulped in fear. "Now, you go get the boats ready." The crewmember nodded and scurried off. Sasuke looked at the sky. "This is bad. We might really have to evacuate."

Within minutes, the worst storm ever approached. Waves of water crashed on the deck destroying Naruto's handiwork and the railings. Lightning struck the sails and the ship rocked back and forth, sideways as well caused by the monstrous wind. In a few more minutes, everyone had to abandon the ship because the docking equipment was all washed into sea. By boatloads, the remaining crew headed for the shore. Naruto and Sasuke were ushering everyone into the boats as fast as they could. When they were about to leave, lightning struck the water shocking them both. The ship tipped and Sasuke was heading overboard but Naruto caught him in the nick of time only to be knocked out by the boat, which they had planned to leave the ship on, riding a tsunami on deck. Both fell into the deep black-blue abyss below.

* * *

To be continued. 


	2. Byakugan

_**Leaves for Elysium**_

**Author: **Angelic Warrior

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Where is the captain?" 

"He went overboard with Uzumaki, Naruto!"

"No way! They are the top swimmers, they should be safe somewhere…right?"

"I don't know but that was one heck of a storm…this place is cursed. Sunshine one minute then a calamity next. What's next? A blizzard?

The storm was finally over and all that remains of the proud ship that held so much dreams was a couple drifting planks in the clear sea and splinters in the crew's skin from the anxiety of evacuation. The crew took refuge in cave nearby, made a large campfire and began to dry their soaked clothes. At the word blizzard, the wind outside began to howl and snow started to float down. Within minutes, it was a snowstorm outdoors. Everyone stayed silent.

"Who said blizzard?" Shikamaru asked.

"Uh…uh I did." A dingy crewmember replied chattering. Shikamaru frowned. Chouji, Kiba, Shino are clueless to what Shikamaru is trying to put together.

"Say another 'weather' someone." Shikamaru commanded. No one replied. "Fine, I'll do it…this is so trouble some…Sunny."

The blizzard instantly stopped. Slowly, the storm clouds drifted away and the bright warm sun glowed above them. Everyone stopped chattering and went out to inspect the results. The snow that was on the ground a couple minutes ago disappeared and was replaced by grass and flowers. Shikamaru smirked. Everyone else was jumping for joy.

"I have come to the conclusion that we can decide what weather we want. Someone on the ship must have thought about a storm so that is why we had one." Shikamaru explained. Chouji dropped his bag of chips. "I advise everyone to be careful what you say or express."

"Wow…so this place grants you wishes?" Chouji asked.

"Wait—" Shikamaru reached out.

"I want some barbeque now!"

Balls of fire started to fall from the sky. Chouji covered his head and shouted "Nevermind!" The fire stopped falling and the grass that was ignited was extinguished as if it never got burned in the first place.

"I was about to say that this only seem to be weather related." Shikamaru clapped his hand on his forehead.

"Interesting. Then we are truly in the Sea of Elysium." Kiba said taking in the view.

"Yes and now we must find Sasuke and Naruto." Shikamaru said.

* * *

"D-do you think it's okay to do this?" Hinata said dragging Naruto on the beach by his arm following Sakura in the water. 

"Hinata-sama, it _was_ your idea. One of them saw us and well…we can't exactly let them die. We would be murderers if we just leave them to roast in the beach side." Sakura grunted as she grabbed both of Sasuke's arms and lifted him. "Got the blonde yet?"

"Long did, though I'm dragging him because I'm not as strong as you." Hinata replied.

"So how long is it to the place that you spoke about." Sakura asked

"I-it isn't far from here a-actually. The humans c-can stay there until they recover and leave. I-it's also the place to erase the memories o-of people w-who accidentally discover us." Hinata looked at Naruto who was slowly opening his eyes. "Oh no!" she gasped.

Naruto sat up and looked at Hinata who was blushing madly swimming in circles. Sakura dropped Sasuke and swam to Hinata. Sasuke opened his eyes and sat up like Naruto as well. Both were looking at the mermaid and both were equally confused to where they are now.

"Where am I?" Naruto and Sasuke said simultaneously.

"Stay back Hinata-sama." Sakura whispered. To the boys she replied, "You should know. You trespassed in _our _sea you know."

Sasuke looked at Naruto. Slowly, their face stretched out into a large grin. Naruto laughed and Sasuke smiled. Finally, this is the Elysium they had been searching for. Best of all, two mermaids are in front of them and one seems to be of royalty.

Sakura frowned. This wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. They were too overjoyed and calm about this.

_Could they be poachers?_ Sakura wondered.

"Hey, thanks for saving our lives." Sasuke stood up and dusted his shirt. Naruto followed.

"Y-you're w-welcome." Hinata stuttered behind Sakura's shoulder.

"So where were we headed?" Naruto asked. Sakura let out a quiet groan.

_Now that they are awake, we can't erase their memories in that place anymore. Damn…_

"We were going to take you to a place where you two can recuperate but it doesn't seem quite necessary since you two are awake and obviously well." Sakura said loudly hinting for them to leave.

When Naruto and Sasuke just stood there as if waiting for her to finish, Sakura nearly screamed. Hinata had to hold her shoulders down to control her outburst.

"P-please leave now…" Sakura whispered dangerously trying to keep her emotions under control.

"No way." Sasuke said bluntly.

"Yeah! We can't go back now! Not after we finally got here!" Naruto said.

"Why you…!" Sakura raised her clawed fingers getting ready to impale the raven-headed boy who stood there facing her on.

"Sakura-san! Don't!" Hinata shouted holding Sakura's arms back.

"Let me go! I have to get rid of them! It's for your safety and all of our kind! We can't let _that_ happen again!" Sakura screamed and thrashed in Hinata's arm lock. "I hate you humans! I hate you humans! I hate you humans! I hate you humans!"

"_That_?" Naruto said mortified. "You…you…have killed others people before?"

"You bet we did! Anyone that threatens us, we erase them without question! You are no exception. Let me go Hinata-sama!" Sakura's emerald eyes blazed with rage. She let out a howl in frustration.

The unearthly sound reverberated in Sasuke's and Naruto's heads sending a chill down their spines. They shuddered and sat on the sand staring at the raging mermaid. The sky darkened and rain started to pour. Sakura began breathe heavily to calm herself as Hinata released her hold.

Lightning lit the sky on fire. It also lit the hatred on Sakura's face.

"I…I should have known…" Sasuke whispered to no one, "Mermaids are truly heartless beasts after all."

"Heartless…so that is what we have become to you humans…" Hinata whispered and stared at her own claws with her lavender-white eyes. "I-I don't hate you humans but I won't tolerate this stereotype as well. Sakura's hatred came from your kind…you cause this." Hinata glanced sadly at Sakura who was gripping her fits so hard that small droplets of blood are mixing into the seawater. "I won't erase your memories but please leave," she commanded.

"You didn't need to tell them about me, Hinata-sama. They know what they had done." Sakura dived into the stormy water.

"But! We just got here! Our ship is demolished and we got separated from our crew. It's not possible to leave yet." Naruto exclaimed.

"M-maybe we'll meet again, under b-better circumstances." Hinata said mildly blushing. "S-sorry that I had t-to use that tone. A-also sorry f-for what is going to happen n-next."

"Huh?" Sasuke and Naruto said in unison.

"Byakugan!" Hinata said as her lavender-white eyes darkened and sent a wave of pressure to the two boys on the beach. Sasuke and Naruto froze and passed out once more. "I-I suppose I am g-glad that I don't s-see evil in you t-two. Y-you'll be fine in two hours." With that, Hinata dived in to the waves and the storm dispelled.

* * *

"Oy! Shikamaru! Isn't that spiky yellow sea urchin Naruto's head?" Kiba pointed to the lump on top of a small hill of sand. 

"And that wet glob of seaweed Sasuke?" Chouji pointed.

"Sigh…probably…" Shikamaru groaned as he shifted over and punched Naruto. "Wake up stupid, you are going to get sunstroke of you keep sleeping here."

Naruto blinked and instantly shot up caressing his tender cheek.

"WHO HIT ME?" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs.

While everyone shielded their ears more from annoyance, Sasuke bopped his head hard.

"Stop making such a racket. You woke me up, dobe!"

"Why you…!" Naruto seethe and began to throw punches at him.

"Oy. You two stop. Remember what we came here for." Shikamaru grabbed Naruto's fist and shove him to the sand.

"Yeah yeah…mermaids…I know…wait. DIDN'T WE FIND EARLIER, SASUKE?"

Sasuke didn't reply. He sat on the sand facing the ocean remembering the mermaids. Especially the one filled with rage. He was taught that mermaids don't have emotions and are heartless creatures. Afterall, they were the ones who sunk Atlantis, the pride and joy of the humans that the humans work so hard to build just for their selfish selves.

"_Sakura's hatred came from your kind…you cause this."_

Yet, that sentence lodged in his head. The mermaid, Hinata, said that her companion's rage originated from them. He was sure that this was his first time seeing a mermaid and the same goes for Naruto. Everyone in Konohagakure must be of age in order to leave the village.

"_your kind…"_

"The Ancient War!" Sasuke jumped up and pointed to Shikamaru. "Tell me everything you know about the Ancient War."

"There isn't much to say. History was still orally passed down then and there were no survivors. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know who fought who?"

"Not really…just that it was an enemy opposite yet similar to us. All textbooks only have at most a paragraph about the war. It was the bloodiest war in the history of wars."

"I see… was the enemy mermaids?" Sasuke asked. That got everyone's attention. Quiet murmurs appeared and died repeatedly. Naruto's face was fixed in anticipation. The long silence tempted their patience

"…I don't know." Shikamaru finally answered.

"Fine. Let's have finding the history of the Ancient War be one of our goals this mission/voyage." Sasuke commanded. "I want Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, and Shino to come with me. The rest of you will rebuild another ship. There should be enough people to do it."

"May I come along with you too? I also have personal reasons to search for the mer-species." Rock Lee walked in front of Sasuke with his thick eyebrows knitted in determination.

Sasuke in reality didn't want to take him along. Lee was a good friend but after the encounter with the mermaids firsthand with Naruto, he knows how vicious they can be. Also, Lee's strength and agility is a useful asset in rebuilding the ship. Sasuke shifted his weight. Lee's gaze was beginning to make his feel like he was being a jerk. He had reasons to see the mermaids as well. After much hesitation, Sasuke gave in.

"You can come," he said to the whooping Lee, "as for the rest of you get to work! I expect no one to slack off while we are gone."

"Yes, Captain!"

* * *

"Hinata-sama, I am sorry. I didn't mean to lose my cool." 

"It's all right. I dealt with them already. I know that you were constraining your emotions the whole time when we rescued them. You did good."

Hinata placed her clawed palm on top of Sakura's bright pink hair. Sakura felt at ease. Hinata was the nicest royalty in the Sea of Elysium. Though she could be incredibly shy when she talked to others, Sakura felt that Hinata is quite bold in reality. Hinata never abused her authority. She was generous as she was also one of the main reasons she chose to be her bodyguard though her family at first refused. However, it was more of a friendship relationship than of a protector.

"I'll appreciate it if you didn't tell my father about today." Hinata whispered. Sakura knew that that was also for her sake too. Hinata's father doesn't pay much attention to her but instead to Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi-sama.

Hinata, the heir to the royal family the controls and rules the Sea of Elysium was an outcast. It was never and probably will never be official but everyone knows it. Strangely, no one in the whole ocean hated her. She was a friend to everyone. Everyone loved the mermaid in his or her heart secretly, fearing Hiashi-sama's wrath. Sakura on the other hand was a different story. She never knew her parents and was for some reason hated by many. Only Hinata and a few dared to approach her. Her past was a complete blank and often she found herself alone crying silent tears. All she knows was that her loneliness was cause by humans.

"Sakura-san, what are you thinking about?" Sakura broke out of her daze state.

"Nothing much…" she mumbled. Hinata stared at her friend and wrapped her arms around her.

"Don't dwell on the past."

Hinata held Sakura hand squeezing it slightly. Sakura smiled a weak smile. Suddenly, ANBU mer-guards appeared. With their mask covering their features, no one could figure out what their facial expressions were.

"Hinata-sama, we need you to come with us." The bird mask ANBU said.

"What's going on! Where are you planning to take Hinata-sama?" Sakura shouted. Hinata put her left arm out telling Sakura to be quiet.

"I understand." Hinata whispered. With that, the ANBU and Hinata disappeared.

Sakura floated in the ocean seething with rage. First humans came and reminded her of the cold life she led. Next, Hinata-sama was taken away for no reason. They were the only ones that came into contact with the humans so ANBU shouldn't have known anything about that. Sakura swam around in frustration mentally cursing.

_Byakugan…_

Sakura gasped. Of course! She should have known. Hinata was only physically weaker than her so how did she deal with the humans? There was only one way to knock them out painlessly.

It was the human's entire fault in the end again.

* * *

To be continued… 


	3. Reasons

**Leaves for Elysium**

**Author: **Angelic Warrior

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

-

Hinata sat on a dirty sea sponge. Once again she finds herself in the same cell. From the looks of all the sludge and putrid scent clinging around the area, this cell doesn't look like it has been occupied for a long time. The glowing moss provided a sickly green weak light. The very walls were made bars that are from a special sea rock that prevents the ability of the usage of any blood limits. Ice crystals daggered above her. Dangerous whirlpools outside of her cell swirl menacingly to anyone who dares to escape. Not even the best mer-people can swim through it and survive.

Hinata sighed silently. She shivered.

The ANBU that escorted her to the cell quietly disperse themselves by their commander's orders. They are such efficient soldiers. They leave no trace that they ever came. They do their jobs fast. No one can escape them. No one can go after them because their identities are hidden behind their masks.

The ANBU platoon commander stood there for a second then started to walk towards her. When he reached her cell, he gave a quick bow. Hinata readied herself for the interrogation.

"Hinata-sama, why did you activate your royal bloodline again? On a human as well."

Hinata turned to the dog-masked ANBU. The ANBU lifted his mask to reveal another mask covering half of his features. His visible eye was clouded with worry. Hinata glided towards the bars on the door and smiled gently.

"Father must have sent you after me to watch my every move, Kakashi-san" Hinata looked at him sadly. "Sorry to be a nuisance."

"Oh no no no…not at all…" Kakashi chuckled.

"Does Father know of my meeting with the humans?"

"No. Only I do. However he knows about the activation of your Byakugan."

"I know. All Hyuugas have a tracker on them." Hinata closed her eyes in exhaustion. "Except the main chosen ones." Hinata added after a moment later.

"You know that you will be punished for this right?" Kakashi solemnly whispered. "You also know that I might be forced to say that you met with humans, right?"

"Yes, it wouldn't be the first time though." Hinata stared out at the azure whirlpools. Their roar doesn't seem to be as frightening as before. They seem gentle…in a way.

"I just hope…Sakura-san wouldn't be caught. She is very important to me. Kakashi-san, until I complete my punishment, please watch over her. Don't let her be alone. Also don't let anyone find out about her…you know what."

"All right. Be careful, Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama is coming." Kakashi bowed and disappeared.

* * *

The group started to investigate their surroundings. It was a long walk and so far they have found nothing.

"This is boring…" Naruto whined playing with Akamaru's ears.

"Stop whining. Bear with it." Sasuke coldly replied.

"Stupid irresponsible, cold, idiotic, emotionless…" Naruto muttered this time yanking Akamaru's ears.

"Have you no end?" Sasuke yelled exasperated to a teary-faced Naruto trying to soothe the inflammation of his bitten hand.

Shikamaru sighed regretting that he ever signed up to go on this journey. The group walked into a dense jungle surrounded by trees or what they think are trees. The "tree" has a wooden trunk but instead of leaves there are bubbles lining the branches. All manner of forest creatures that are in the jungle somehow resemble sea creatures. Snakes are scaly eels, mice seemed to be fish with stubbly legs, and large animals such as tigers or deers are large fish like sharks that are finless, striped, and legged. The jungle's earth was wet sand and crustations skittered freely upon it.

"Amazing! The power of my youth enables me to see such wonders!" Lee scanned the area.

"Freaky…are they fish or animals…or both?" Kiba crinkled his brows.

"It smells pleasant for some reason…not fishy but a calming scent." Chouji pointed out. "Like ramen chips…"

"I smell medicine, shoji wood…no ramen chips." Shikamaru said.

"My turn! I smell lots of ramen! Miso, cha-siu, shrimp, and beef…all available flavors from Ichiraku ramen back at Konoha. For some reason I also smell…blood."

"Blood?" Akamaru and I don't smell any though…"

"Yeah…I smell blood as well…" Sasuke said.

They stopped walking. Their surroundings suddenly evaporated from the sea jungle to the ocean. Small waves lapped the beachside. Waves crashed against the rocks spraying water in the sky. The sun had just set. The sky and ocean meld as one crimson blaze. It was red…like blood. A bloody sunset.

"Wow…it's beautiful…" Lee said captivated by the surroundings.

Everyone agreed by nodding his head and for a while no one spoke anything. Everyone was marveling the sea. It was as if an illusion binds them to the same spot.

"Captain Sasuke, it is getting late." Shino suddenly said scaring everybody. Everybody stopped placing their hands over their heart to calm themselves.

"You can talk!" Naruto jumped pointing his finger at Shino. Everyone sweatdropped. Shino punched Naruto in the head in annoyance.

Sasuke ignored Naruto's remark or his throbbing lump and turn to Shino. "Let's make camp here."

* * *

"I have to save Hinata-sama! But how?" Sakura punched the ground cracking it.

The fish nearby swam away in anxiety. The crack hissed and magma oozed from it. Sakura crossed her arms and growled. A blond head poke behind the rocks. It silently swam behind the furious pink-haired mermaid and without warning it jumped on her.

"WAHHHhhh…oh, it's just you Ino." Sakura said surprised. She felt her face flushed up in embarrassment

"You are scaring the fish, brute." Ino smirked and began to toy with her blond hair.

"Ino…" Sakura twisted her face in annoyance.

"All right! Chill!" Ino raised her palms to declare peace.

Ino was a beautiful mermaid. Her family may not be royalty, but it has connections. In other words, her family is of a noble status. Ino is the heiress of their clan. Ino with her blue eyes that reflect the purity of the ocean has many guys chasing after her. She is smart, graceful, talented, sort of self-conceited, prideful, likes to make people seem lower than her, and likes to pick on Sakura. One moment, she could be nice to her and next the moment, she can be mean. Overall, she was an okay mermaid, considering not many dared to be near her.

"What do you want?" Sakura coldly asked.

"I just came to hang out. You know…to get away from all the boys…"

_Must you remind me of all the attention you always get?_ Sakura thought.

"I thought that you might like to listen to my latest attempt to break some pathetic mer-man's heart." Ino pridefully said.

"Go away then." Sakura rejected. Ino frowned and turned serious.

"I also came to tell you that your master…" Sakura snapped straight up. Her sea-green eyes widen in fear. Sakura rushed to Ino, gripped her shoulders and shook her anxiously. Ino felt Sakura's claws dig in her skin.

"What happened? Is Hiashi-sama torturing her? Is she being punished? Is she all right? Can I go see her?" Sakura gazed into Ino's eyes, her brows knitted.

"You're hurting me." Ino pushed out of Sakura's lock. Sakura blinked.

"Sorry…" she hastily said. Ino inspected her shoulders before looking back at the worried mermaid. Ino hated being the bearer of bad news but knowing how close Sakura and Hinata are it wouldn't be fair to hide it from her.

"You are asking her too much questions…I don't know which one to answer first?" Ino weakly giggled, trying to gently change the mood.

"How about, "Is she okay?" Sakura eagerly asked.

_Swell, no how am I supposed to make this easy to hear._

Ino felt her whole body seep in pity. Sakura, no, no one would have liked to hear it.

"Sakura," Ino's voice began to crack, "Hinata-sama was punished."

If they were on the Above, a gust of wind would have blown.

"Punished? What was her punishment?" Sakura asked while at the same time she was calculating the worse.

"Uh…she…" Ino changed her mind, "Why should I tell you?" she squeaked.

_Yeah, good going!_ Ino thought. _Knowing how I am, Sakura most likely would be annoyed and swim away in frustration. Man I really did messed up. Why did I come here in the first place? I definitely have better things to do than play with this…mermaid…_

"Because, you are a true friend." Sakura said without hesitation.

Ino stared shocked. _FRIEND!_ _Since when has she been demoted to that level?_ She stared at the determined Sakura in front of her. Ino felt her heart wrenched. _Sakura…sees me as a friend? Weirdo. Has she forgotten all times I humiliated her?_

"Please don't hide the facts from me. I really want to know. I know it's hard for you but please." Sakura pleaded.

Ino felt like a jerk. She did come here originally to tell Sakura about Hinata. But at the last moment, she had cold feet. _Cold fins_ actually. She gripped her hands and felt distraught.

"I…I…ya…okay." Ino hesitated and finally gave in. Sakura eyes sparkle for a second in gratitude. "Don't kill me later."

"I won't."

"Hinata-sama is sentenced to the Above where she will live for seven years as a mortal."

"That's not that bad right? At least she wasn't hurt." Sakura said relieved. "Wait, there's more right." Sakura saw Ino's uncomfortable look.

"Yeah, there's a lot more. Hinata-sama was tortured as well."

"What…" Sakura breathed. "Tortured? By just activating the Byakugan?"

"Err…no…Byakugan is one thing but Hanabi-sama told Hiashi-sama that Hinata-sama came in contact with humans."

"That brat!" Sakura said. "What did Hinata-sama ever do to her!"

"Shhh!" Ino clamped her clawed hand hard across Sakura's mouth. "You don't know who might hear," Ino whispered.

"Wait…hold on…How did Hanabi-sama find out about this?" Sakura whispered. She was really confused. She felt her brain twisted in a knot.

"It seems…that Hanabi somehow invaded the ANBU commander Kakashi's mind."

Sakura wrinkled her face. "Isn't taking over someone's mind _your_ specialty?"

"I didn't say _take over_…I said _invaded_." Ino said.

"Isn't that…"

"Yeah…invasion of privacy. That's how it goes down here. Everyone only has one thing they can hide and it seems Kakashi-san has his filled up."

"How was Hinata-sama tortured?" Sakura slowly said keeping her voice smooth.

"From what I heard, it was mostly mentally and one physical wound." Ino softly said.

"Wounded…Hinata-sama…I'm sorry…" Sakura whimpered.

"Also her curse will be painful for her to bear. Since we are mermaids, we don't have legs but in her curse form, she will. It will be very painful to 'walk' especially when your weight is on it." Ino winced from the imaginary pain.

_Not for me…_ Sakura thought silently to herself.

"I feel sorry for her. Poor Hinata-sama…in pain and alone in a barbaric Above."

Sakura paled. Hinata-sama will be, for seven years, walking painfully and wounded on the Above. Sakura felt the jumble of emotions raging in her. She wanted to save her. She wanted to be with her. She wanted to take away her pain. It was her fault in the first place. She could have let the humans drown and let someone else discover the bodies. She could have just killed the humans when they woke up. She could have kept her anger under control so Hinata-sama didn't have to clean up after her. She could have…

She _should_ have never got involved with Hinata. Now she was suffering because of her.

"Ino!" Sakura growled.

Ino jumped. Sakura was sad in one moment and now she was angry. A green aura enveloped her figure. For a second, she thought she saw Sakura's fins disappear. When she blinked again, the aura died.

"Tell me where is Hinata-sama at right now!"

* * *

"This "lizard-fish" is actually quite good. I'm glad I snagged some before we reached to this beach." Kiba said then snarf down the barbequed food-thing.

The campfire, lit by the courtesy of Sasuke, was crackling merrily in the evening. Along the rim of the fire, "food" was being barbequed. They caught fish from the ocean along with some other weird organisms and apparently Kiba somehow got a hold of some "lizard-fish" thingie. Rock Lee supplied firewood and rocks. Shikamaru just lay on the sand waiting for time to pass. Chouji found edible seaweed. Shino went to scout and gather information about their surroundings. Sasuke made preparation utensils for cooking and lit the fire. Naruto had to make the tent and prepare everyone's bed.

"Why do I get the worst job?" Naruto complained tears streaming comically down his face. "It's boring."

"Shut up, dobe. You wanted to draw straws and we did. You lost so live with it." Sasuke said carving out skewers for the fish. "It's not like any of us got any better."

"Shikamaru isn't doing anything!" Naruto yelled and pointed to Shikamaru who was currently yawning at the moment.

"That's because he had already finished. Back to work!" Sasuke said.

"What did he do?"

"Weather gazing."

"What kind a job is THAT!"

"An important one. Have you forgotten the storm already?" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto opened his mouth in protest but nothing came out. Sasuke had a point, not that he was ever going to admit that. Naruto frowned and continued putting up the tents. Sasuke smirked. These chopsticks and skewers were truly a work of art.

-

After their dinner, they sat around the fire staring at its scarlet whips. The wood hissed as the fire sucked the moisture from it. Black smoke left a vertical trail in the air. The stars were out, twinkling mischievously. Shikamaru attempted to find some familiar constellations but to his surprise he couldn't find a single one. It was as if Elysium was a different world.

"Say…" Kiba started, "Lee, why did you wanted to come with us in the first place?"

Lee took that question with surprise. "I have personal reasons. Why did you come?"

"I actually just wanted to check out the territory of Elysium. Also some of its seafood." Kiba grinned. "Sorry I don't have a better reason."

"What about you guys?" Lee asked.

"I was bored. I wanted to see new clouds." Shikamaru said staring at the starry night sky. "Looks like I didn't get my wish."

"Err…I came because Shikamaru came." Chouji took out a bag of chips from his invisible secret stash and started to munch on them.

"I heard of unique bugs that only exist here, untouched by humankind. I want to see those." Shino said quietly.

"I am seeking new ramen flavors!" Naruto yelled. "The great Uzumaki, Naruto will create the best ramen restaurant when we come back to Konoha. I will learn of its secrets and use them deliciously."

Everyone froze and stared at Naruto who was grinning in his imaginary world and blabbering on about his success. How on earth or Elysium was he going to attain those secrets for ramen flavors, nobody knew.

"I…am on a mission..." Sasuke said slowly resting his chin on his interlocked fingers, "to seek mermaids for their powers to save an unavoidable fate."

"Fate? What's unavoidable?" Chouji asked.

"You should know already. It's Taboo to speak of it."

"Right…" everyone murmured.

Though it's Taboo to speak of it, every inhabitant in Konoha knows of its tragic fate. The peaceful Konoha was always drawn into wars with foreign countries even though the war has nothing to do with them. Every fifty years, a disaster would strike upon the village killing hundreds of people mercilessly. Calamities often follow such as months of famine and more bloodshed. Even though the Hokage of Konoha tried to prevent this fate recycling, it was useless. Wars that had nothing to do with them still came, disasters still stuck and calamities still occur. This continuation caused many people to desert Konoha, the Village of Leaves. Leaves as in plenty of trees and 'leaves' as in going, abandoned.

The reason for all of this misfortune could be traced back to a long time ago. According to ancient history scrolls, a curse was placed upon the whole village. Anyone who knew who, how, why the curse was placed, still lived. The villagers only knew only one thing. It was connected to the Ancient War. Unfortunately, information about the Ancient War was rare. People who knew about Shikamaru's amount were considered "educated" in the Ancient War.

That's why young Uchiha, Sasuke was out traveling in the Sea of Elysium in search of mermaids. He felt that it was his duty to save his homeland. He heard that mermaids have the power to grant two wishes by the power of their eyes. That was why when he met the dark-haired and pink-haired mermaids, his hopes of attaining his wish approached even nearer. Sasuke also knew Naruto had another reason to search for mermaids even though tonight Naruto 'claimed' that he was here searching for ramen flavors. Even though they were an unlikely pair of best friends, Naruto never told Sasuke why he truly needed to meet up with a mermaid nor Sasuke ever pressured him to spill it out. Well, once but that was it. Secrecy was valued in Konoha. Secrets were kept to his or herself and no one can force someone to say his or her's unless they were willing to. That was why everyone could nearly trust another since they knew they wouldn't be betrayed.

"Okay. Enough talk. Let's assign guard duty and go to sleep." Sasuke said standing up.

"What? I haven't finish telling my tale of success yet." Naruto whined.

"You have not succeeded yet, Naruto." Shikamaru said monotonously. Everyone sort of chuckled.

"Hmph." Naruto sat down crossed-legged.

"Do we draw straws again?" Chouji asked Sasuke.

"Why not?" Sasuke prepared the straws and everyone pulled one of them. "Brown has the first shift."

Shikamaru saw that his straw was brown and sighed while stretching his limbs.

"Black has second shift."

Shino nodded.

"Green has third shift."

Rock Lee clenched his fists in anticipation.

"Blue has the fourth shift.

Chouji grabbed another potato chip from his bag.

"White has fifth shift."

"We'll do the best job! Right Akamaru?" Kiba said. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Orange has the sixth shift."

"Right!" Naruto said excitedly forgetting his previous mood.

"I, Red have the last shift." Sasuke said. All eyes were on Sasuke.

"Why do you have the best shift?" everyone asked in unison.

"Because I am Captain." Sasuke said. "These are my orders. You came upon my ship knowing that already, I presumed. Besides, we drew straws so it's fair. Now, let's go to sleep."

Everyone shrugged and headed to their respective tents while Shikamaru remained by the campfire.

"This is going to be a long night." Shikamaru yawned.

* * *

To be continued. 


	4. Memories

**Leaves for Elysium**

**Author: **Angelic Warrior

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

-

The wind whistled as it flew by the campsite. It was sharp and chilly like Death's grip. The campfire gave a weak crackle and pop every now and then. Thin streaks of clouds slowly enshrouded the lazy moon.

It was finally the sixth shift. Naruto yawned as he poked out his head from the tent's entrance. Scratching his head, he stuffed his feet in his boots and shuffled out towards the dimming campfire. His wake up call had been very upsetting. Naruto was in the middle of a fascinating dream when Akamaru bit his arm. Now, grumbling by the campfire, Naruto attempted to recall his dream but unfortunately couldn't recall a single detail.

"Stupid Akamaru…Even though I can't remember, I know that dream was good."

Naruto's blue eyes flickered in the firelight. The hypnotic sight made him recall his sole purpose of coming here. Sure he liked ramen, but there was another reason he sought the mermaid's help. Unconsciously, he touched his abdomen with his right hand. Thought lines creased his forehead.

"Yo, Kyuubi…it's okay, right?" Naruto said out loud. If someone had been around him at that time, they would have thought Naruto was crazy, talking out loud to himself.

Inside Naruto's leaky soul chamber, an entity stirred from its weak slumber. Its bright red-orange fur bristled in alertness. Letting out a low growl, the nine-tailed demon fox replied:

**_If that is what you want. What you do is of no concern to me._**

"You probably want to be free, right?"

**_Who wouldn't? Kit, you came here with a decision made already. Why the doubts now?_**

"I can't believe I'm actually going to say this but…I think…I might miss you being here if you were gone. You were always here even though I didn't know of your existence in me until I was twelve."

Naruto threw a stick in the dying campfire. The blaze revived itself, sending more pale gray smoke into the starry sky.

"You are, to me, a monster that destroyed my childhood…"

**_I didn't choose to get sealed in you._**

"…an unlikely mentor but a good one…"

_**I lived over a thousand years.**_

"…a lifesaver…"

**_Your body is also mine. If you died, I would too._**

"…and a good friend. Though you were really evil and mean to me during the first couple of years I learned about you."

**_I'm still evil, but the word 'evil' has many definitions._**

"Right." Naruto smiled. "I forgot."

The wind blew again, this time bringing some sand in its currents. Naruto shielded his eyes and waited for the wind to die down. After a couple of seconds, the sand disappeared from the wind, but the wind continued to blow in Naruto's direction this time bringing a metallic scent.

"It that…blood?" Naruto sniffed the sea air.

**_Smells like blood but it isn't human._**

"I'm going to go check it out." Naruto wrapped a cloak around his body. He grabbed a stick, wrapped it with some rags, and lit it on fire.

Naruto didn't walk far when the smell got stronger. His nose was enhanced courtesy of the demon within him. His blue eyes slowly turned crimson as he searched the beach. About a hundred yards from him, his 'night vision' revealed a figure lying on the beach next to a large rock. Running towards the figure, he tripped on a smaller rock and fell on top of it. His hand felt something soft and warm.

"Uhh…" the body groaned.

Naruto jumped at the groan. It was a girl! He moved his torch closer to the girl and saw her facial features, and unfortunately for her, the rest of her body.

"She's naked!" Naruto blushed furiously, yanking his cloak to cover her body.

The kyuubi snickered.

"The smell is coming from her. Kyuubi…is she injured?" Naruto asked.

He planted his torch in the sand near the unconscious girl. Gulping, he closed his eyes as he lifted the girl up and fastened the cloak around her. His hand felt wet near her head and by the torch light, he saw blood.

"She's injured. I need to get some help." Naruto hoisted the unconscious girl and ran towards camp as fast as he could.

-

**Before That…**

**-**

"Hinata-sama! I'm so sorry!" Sakura clutched the bars of the cell.

"Sakura-san! Let go before…"

_Z-Zap!_

Hinata closed her eyes as Sakura retracted her grip. Sakura frowned as she inspected her slightly raw palms.

"The walls and cell bars are reinforced with chakra this time. Better not touch it." Hinata said sadly.

"Why this! This is absurd! You only just activated your Byakugan. There's no way that will get you sentenced for seven years in the Above," Sakura angrily shouted.

"Father knows of my encounter with the humans. That alone can send me up to the Above for fifteen years. Therefore…seven years aren't that bad."

"Seven years _is_ a long time. The last time I heard of an encounter case, the humans were killed. No one was punished. We can send the ANBU to kill those humans like the previous time, that way you'll be spared, at least for the encounter."

"I didn't want them to be killed. That's why I took the punishment."

"What!" Sakura shouted.

Already forgetting about the chakra enforced cell bars, she grabbed at them again. Hinata closed her pale eyes and cringed just before Sakura gave a small whelp at the burning pain. Hinata opened her eyes and saw that Sakura's palms had begun to form some blisters. Sighing, Hinata reached for her special ointment and smeared some on Sakura's raw palms.

"You really shouldn't forget your first lessons," Hinata said soothingly as she capped the lid of the jar. Sakura grumbled something incoherently under her breath.

"There, as long you don't burn yourself again," Hinata peered at Sakura while bandaging her palms, "it should heal by dusk."

"Thank you, Hinata-sama." Sakura said.

The water's current suddenly changed, indicating that someone was approaching. Sakura stiffened and subconsciously moved in front of Hinata. Hinata reached between the bars and put her clawed hands on Sakura's shoulder, reassuring her that it was okay. Sakura turned around and saw Hinata. Her green eyes grew teary at the thought of seeing her for the last time.

"Pl…please don't go…Hinata-sama…let me stay with you." Sakura sobbed.

Sakura hadn't cried in years. She thought she had forgotten the pain of crying; the burning eyes, the lump in the throat, the squeezing chest, and the agonizing heart-- it was all too real and familiar. The last time she cried was when the other mermaids had bullied her by yanking out her tail scales.

"_Nah, nah…Sakura, you don't look so well. Let's help you."_

_A group of mermaids surrounded her. Some even began to take out a nail file to sharpen their claws. Six-year-old Sakura shifted slowly backwards until her back hit the wall. Her green eyes grew wider as they peered into the other eyes sensing their desire to see blood. The leader, Ami, dropped her nail file and licked her sharpened claws._

"_Sakura-chan…your complexion is so pale today. Didn't they say in history that bleeding was the cure for all illnesses?" _

"_Um…I believe I'm quite healthy today," Sakura said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice, but she could not stop the involuntary shudders. _

"_Don't act so brave, we know you feel sick just as we are disgusted that you are among us," Ami sneered._

"_B-brave? I'm not brave…" Sakura said, using her peripheral vision to seek an opening to escape. There wasn't any. The mermaids surrounded her._

"_You dare talk back to me!" Ami shouted and slapped Sakura's face. _

_The slap stung. On her face, three scratch marks appeared. Ami's claws were really sharp. Sakura whimpered._

"_Oh my…I just scarred your cheek." Ami faked sincerity. The others laughed._

_Sakura reached for her cheek. It was getting numb. Did Ami poison her claws? Sakura gritted her fangs. She couldn't stand this treatment anymore. Before anyone could react, she scored a slap on Ami's face. _

_Everyone gasped. Ami stared, shocked. After a few seconds, Ami let out a chuckle. The other mermaids murmured amongst themselves as to whether she had snapped or not._

"_No one touches my face but me…No one, not even my own parents hit me, but you dared and did," Ami said coldly. "You two!" Ami shouted at the two mermaids closest to Sakura, "hold her down. I'm going to give her God's punishment!"_

_Instantly, Sakura couldn't move; the two mermaids had pinned her against the wall. Ami swam closer to Sakura, grinning like a maniac. Without warning, she dug her claws into Sakura's tail and yanked out four scales._

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sakura screamed._

"_There…I feel much better…but my cheek still stings…hmmm…what shall I do?" Ami sadistically peeled off some skin on Sakura's scales, using her claws like tweezers. "I know!" Ami bopped her hand, "why don't you all enjoy the fun?" _

_Instantly, like a pack of hungry wolves, Ami's friends dove in, yanking out her scales. _

"_KYAHHH-…" Sakura bit her lip to prevent her from shout out in pain. No, she wouldn't give them the pleasure of her agony. _

It was so painful when each scale was yanked, and some blood would leaked out, making the surrounding water around her cloudy pink. Their claws would dig into her flesh to take out the scales. Sakura may have prevented herself from not screaming but the tears of pain were flowing freely. It wasn't long before they were bored, since Sakura kept the screams to herself. After some teasing about how the water around her now matched her pink hair, they would swim away, taking the stolen scales and melting each one in the underground magma reservoir.

"_Sakura-chan! Look! Now I know where you got that weird hair color from!" Ami laughed, clutching her stomach. "The water was your dye! Get it?"_

_When no one laughed, Ami would glare at everyone, and soon, all the mermaids except Sakura would laugh. Many were doing it half-heartedly. Sakura felt so drained and her whole tail felt inflamed. Each wound pulsed and stung._

"_Poor Sakura…we should help with her recovery. After all, it's hard to swim missing nearly half of your scales." With her claws, she picked up handfuls of scales and smiled._

_Sakura prayed that they would leave right now but that didn't happen._

"_I know of an underground reservoir that can increase the healing process! Aren't I a good friend? All we need to do is burn them and your scales will be back in a few days. Let's do it, girls!" _

"_No!" Sakura weakly yelled._

_Ami and her army picked up the fallen scales and swam away with it. Sakura panted, now fearing the worst._

_When the last of the bubbles from the mermaid tails disappeared, Sakura felt the cracked dam holding her tears burst. Hot tears trailed down her cheeks as she let out a loud mournful wail. She clutched her chest, feeling it constrict, tightening. She let everything out, banging her fist at the wall. So what if she caused another injury? It didn't matter. No one cared. No one acknowledged her presence. She was all alone in the dark blue sea._

"_Why…why…Why doesn't anyone care about me?" Sakura howled._

For days, Sakura endured the stinging pain while praying that her scales would grow back faster. If the bullies had left the scales after their torturing, she could have re-attached some of them. However, they burned them and by doing that, they prolonged her recovery.

It wasn't too long afterwards that she met Hinata. At first, Sakura thought she was just like Ami but her actions proved that this was untrue.

"_D-dear god! What h-happened? Are you okay?"_

_Sakura opened her eyelids. The first things she saw were pure black eyes staring at her face. She felt her forehead being touched against the stranger's._

"_If you are here to take more of my scales…scram. I don't even have enough to swim properly," Sakura dully said. _

"_T-take your s-scales! Why w-would I do th-that!" the black eyed mermaid swam back in shock. _

_Sakura had a better view of the visitor now that she wasn't looking into her face. The mermaid was really pale, with shoulder length dark hair which contrasted with her skin. Her eyes were pitch black, and yet sincerity and compassion were visible in them. She had a pearly white cloth tied around her chest. When Sakura looked at the mermaid's tail, she felt tears arising once more. Her own tail looked like trash while the other mermaid's seem to gleam in the weak sunlight. It was smooth, clean, everything--that was not Sakura's tail._

"_Y-you are running a d-d-dangerous fev-ver. I-If you'll l-let m-me…I-I can treat it f-for y-you." The mermaid stuttered as she twiddled her index fingers shyly._

_Sakura barely heard what she said. Her mind was so cloudy that she only registered the word 'fever' and 'treat'. Too tired, she just nodded._

_Hinata immediately applied first aid to Sakura, though some of the wounds had signs of infection. Sakura's face had a purple tint. Hinata recognized the poison in her skin._

"_P-please bear th-this…it'll be p-painf-ful but it's necessary," Hinata said. _

_Sakura nodded, too tired to complain. Her body felt hot and her head felt cloudy. Hinata took out a small knife and slit Sakura's cheek a little. Sakura winced but what surprised her was what happened next. Hinata pulled Sakura's face closer to her and with her lips, she went to suck the poison out of the cheek. Spitting the blood into a shell container, Hinata sealed the slit wound with her ointment. In a few seconds, Sakura felt her head clear. Her cheek wound felt minty cool and she felt comfortable. _

"_Y-your fe-fever was caused b-by the p-poison. Y-You'll be a-all right n-now…" Hinata gently stuttered as she proceeded to apply some anti-infection healing ointment._

"_Who are you?" Sakura whispered._

"_S-sorry! I-I've forgottent to in-introduce mys-self. I'm Hinata."_

"_Hi..nata-san…thank you."_

Since that time, Sakura was forever grateful. Hinata, being the first one to show kindness to her, was placed in a special area of her empty heart. They became fast friends and Ami didn't bug her anymore. Later Sakura found out that there was another mermaid that scared Ami off. But that's another story. Being with Hinata didn't get her bullied and in return, Sakura decided to be her bodyguard. It was then when she found out that Hinata was royalty and an outcast.

"_Let me be your bodyguard, it's the least I can do," Sakura pled. _

"_You can't!" Hinata said. After some time with Sakura, she stopped stuttering around her._

"_Why not!" Sakura asked. "It's of my own freewill. I want to protect you."_

"_My father will be very angry. I'm…not worthy of having any one to protect me." _

"_That's not true!" Sakura harshly grabbed Hinata's shoulders. A piece cloth fell. "You, out of everyone I know, are worth protecting!" _

_Sakura blinked and noticed the fallen cloth. She picked it up and felt its smooth texture. The colors swirled in the fabric and soon camouflaged with her claws._

"_This is…Cami-bric," Sakura slowly said. _

_Hinata gasped and realized that there was nothing covering her eyes; she quickly shielded her face from Sakura's view._

"_Hinata-san, why do you have this? Are you hiding something from me?" Sakura grabbed the 'skin' colored cloth and turned around._

"_Please don't look at me and give me back the cloth," Hinata said, blindly reaching for the cloth._

"_Are you okay, Hinata-san? Why are you covering your eyes?" _

_Sakura pulled Hinata's arm down. Sea-green eyes met pale white lavender ones. Sakura gasped. Hinata saw the cloth on Sakura's claws and quickly grabbed it when Sakura was in shock. Hinata tied it around her eyes, making her pale eyes appear coal black. Sakura blinked._

"_You…are, Hinata-san…no…Hinata-sama! You are a Hyuuga! You are royalty and yet…you never told me." Sakura quickly bowed but her tone of voice held a hint of betrayal._

"_Sakura-san. I don't want others to befriend me because I'm royalty. Please don't jump to conclusions; let me explain…"_

Sakura from then on wouldn't take 'no' for bodyguarding. She also told Hinata to be true to herself and not to hide her true identity. Hiding would only make herself look weaker in Hinata's father's eyes. Sakura also refused to call her 'san' anymore but instead 'sama,' which made Hinata blush for a while.

After such a past together, how could Sakura let go of Hinata now? She was supposed to protect her but now she couldn't. Her pent up frustrations finally burst and she cried.

"Sakura-san. Don't cry. Seven years really aren't long and also…you should leave now. Ano…if you can, Sakura-san, won't you look for me when I'm sent up?"

Sakura froze. She whipped her head in Hinata's direction. Hinata answered her shocked features with a melancholy smile.

"Y…you know…?" Sakura whispered.

"Yes. I always _knew_ you. From the moment I sucked the poison out of your blood that day, my suspicions were confirmed. But don't worry, I didn't tell anyone." Hinata glanced at the entrance. "Sakura-san, leave now! It's an order!" Hinata pled.

Sakura gave Hinata an assuring nod and then left.

"You aren't the only _one _here," Hinata whispered after Sakura left. "There is _one_ more just like you."

-

"_Commence trial and punishment. Hyuuga, Hinata, are you absolutely certain you will take your punishment rather have the ANBU erase the humans? Speak your case."_

"Y-yes. I'll r-rightful-ly take my p-punishment. S-spare the h-humans please. It was m-my f-f-fault as s-s-seen in the rec-corded images. I will dutifully c-carry out my p-punishment."

"_Understood. Punishment lasts for seven years. Case closed. You may depart at midnight after Wound Infliction."_

"U-un-derstood." Hinata gritted her teeth to mentally and physically prepare herself for the pain in the torture chamber.

_Seven hours later…_

Hinata weakly left the chamber. Her limbs still felt the effects of the genjutsu placed on her. Her mind was put to the very limit nearly shattering her soul. She fainted sixteen times, ten less than what an average prisoner could handle. Her first experience prepared her a little but the effects were still horrifying. Each illusion was molded for the individual. The specialists would cast the worst nightmare onto the victim died repeatedly until the victim dies from of it. Hinata was ordered not to be killed so the specialists placed a different dream on her. It was a dream of loneliness when the mer-people she cared for sacrificed their lives for her sake.

"_Hinata-sama, you look thirsty. Have a drink." The mer-person slit their wrists and held it out to the shocked mermaid. "You are royalty after all."_

"_Hinata-sama, are you hungry? You can eat my heart…" That mer-person ripped their chest and pulled out their still pumping, steaming heart. "Is it fitting for you, Princess?"_

"_Hinata-sama! Look out!" Sakura shouted as she shoved Hinata aside. A spear that was launched, directed at Hinata now implanted itself in Sakura's forehead._

_Hinata shook uncontrollably as blood drained from her face. Tears streamed out of her eyes as scenes flicked past her, each more horrifying than the previous. She slumped to the ground in shock. When another scene of Sakura's sacrifice flashed past, she clutched her head screaming._

"_STOP IT!NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hinata shouted continuously for seven hours._

Hinata struggled to keep consciousness. It was finally over and yet it wasn't. Just one more and it would be over. Hyuuga, Hiashi came over with a stony expression on his face. His ivory eyes pierced into the hearts of mer-people and stared into his daughter's heart. His heart slightly cringed seeing the effects of the psychological torture inflicted on his eldest daughter. He remembered Hinata's screams and it still throbbed in his heart.

"Father…" Hinata weakly addressed.

Hiashi blinked. He had Hanabi now so why was he still worried about this weakling? He cast his feelings aside.

"Turn around," Hiashi said. Hinata obeyed.

With his claw, Hiashi dipped it in a timer ink. Timer ink, when tattooed on the flesh, will gauge the amount of time the magic will last when cast on the individual. Hiashi pushed up Hinata's long hair to reveal a pale neck. He saw the gills on the side quiver slightly. With a deep breath, he plunged his dipped claw in the nape of her neck.

"Uhmph…" Hinata grimaced.

The ink immediately spread from Hiashi's claw to form a circle. The circle blossomed from the circumference with ancient writing and inside the circle, the kanji for 'human' bled. The number 7 appeared right below the circle ending the spell. Hiashi withdrew his claw. The transformation would begin very soon.

"Father…" Hinata croaked.

"My last piece of advice, swim fast," Hiashi said emotionlessly. With a swish of his tail, he left and everyone else followed.

Hinata closed her eyes in defeat. He didn't care for her at all. The back of her neck pulsated and Hinata fought the urge to touch it. Suddenly she gasped. Her claws and fins were slowly shrinking. Her white eyes opened with realization. She was going to turn human down here at the heart Atlantis, which was over 50,000 below sea level. No one was going to help her because she was now neither mermaid nor human, and their law didn't cover her anymore.

"…_swim fast…"_

Hinata dug her fingers in the water forcing her way up. Her tail thrashed shooting jets of bubbles behind her. The water pressure was beginning to affect her now as her ears popped.

_I won't make it! _Hinata thought as her scales slowly floated away from her tails.

Hinata glared at the tiny stream of light that penetrated the ocean. It was still about 295 meters from the top and her gills were pinching closed. Knowing this was the last chance to breathe, Hinata took a deep breath just as her gills folded shut.

_Air! _Hinata mentally screamed as blood pounded against her eardrums. _Can I make it?_

At the surface of the ocean, a storm raged. At the campsite, it was quiet as Naruto grumbled, stumbling towards the campfire.

Hinata thought her tail had snapped, split into two. The sudden burst of pain released the stored air in her new lungs. Kicking her new legs, she burst though the ocean's surface with a loud gasp. Before she could think, a gigantic wave slammed into her, knocking her breath out. The mini tsunami picked her up and tossed her into the air. When the unconscious Hinata flew in the air, her head slammed against a rock on the shore. The storm immediately quelled as blood started to stain the soaked sand. All became silent.

_Hinata-sama, I wish you the best of luck… _An air spirit whispered and with its wind, it carried the scent of blood to the person of Hinata's destiny.

-

To be continued.


End file.
